IMPACT OF NO-TILL FARMING ON SOIL ANIMALS

Abstract

This paper reviews the research on the impact of no-till farming on soil fauna, which is
involved in the decomposition of organic residues and the maintenance of soil fertility.The
absence of traditional plowing has a positive effect on the number and diversity of macrofauna (earthworms, millipedes, carabid beetles, insect larvae, etc.). The mesofauna of the soil
(collembolans, mites) in most cases also positively responds to no-till technology. The comparison of macrofauna and mesofauna shows that the respond of the first group is far stronger
to the way of tillage than the second group. The microfauna population (protists, free-living
nematodes in soil, etc.) increases in the fields where no-till farming is used, while the number
of nematodes parasitizing on cultivated plants decreases. Several factors contribute to the
growth of diversity and number of soil animals: integrity preservation of the top soil, large
amounts of organic residues on the soil surface, accumulation and conservation of soil moisture, reduction of soil temperature fluctuations. The general effect of the no-till farming can
be interpreted as an “improvement” of the soil, in which soil animals perform the functions of
maintaining natural soil fertility and control of pathogenic microorganisms more effectively.